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Ecocidal Ideology

I have a lot of friends who share the following problem with me: Our sense of outrage is so saturated that when a new outrage occurs, we have to download some existing outrage into an external hard drive in order to make room for a new outrage.” Al Gore

Environmentalists, like Mark Lazen, are outraged1 (with what little rage can be mustered after the undermining of Bali and passing of the dirty energy bill) at the denial of California’s petition to regulate greenhouse gas emissions for cars and trucks in the state, recently announced2 by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Administrator Stephen Johnson.

Mr. Johnson certainly doesn’t speak for the EPA’s own legal and technical experts who, by all accounts, disagree with his reasoning.

There is no legal basis for the decision. Several recent court rulings have backed up the rights of states to regulate vehicle emissions. The EPA’s own advisers are confident that the agency will lose the suits that are certain to follow.

What Mr. Johnson’s baseless decision really reflects is the howling of the traditional auto industry funneled through Dick Cheney and an administration determined to defend oil to the last. The battle to follow will be between those clinging desperately to old businesses, determined to keep the gravy train running, and those ready to make the leap to new models and clean technologies, and hoping for smart regulation that will ensure a level playing field for innovation and competition.

In fact, in this latest travesty one can hardly blame the automakers for playing tough by the existing rules. But shame on the Bush administration for abdicating its responsibility for the national welfare by not only failing to provide a regulating structure to incentivize the necessary transformation of industry, but actually preventing the states from filling the leadership vacuum.

“This isn’t over,” warns the Watthead, “but, it will delay things even longer.” Similar Posts: